MANSFIELD – History has come to know the Korean War of 1950 to 1953 as “The Forgotten War.” However, it will never be forgotten by those who served.
On Thursday night, 13 veterans of the Korean War were honored by the Korean War Veterans Association Chapter 51 in Mansfield. Each of the veterans present received the Korean Ambassador’s Medal for Peace.
Tony Delong, executive director of the Richland County Veterans Service Commission, explained that the 13 veterans received these medals through an application process. The gold medallion is inscribed on the back describing a unity of patriots and veterans, with an intricate design on the front and another inscription in Hangui, the national language of the Korean people.
“If America did not step in, the country would all be North Korea today,” Delong said. “On behalf of the Korean people and on behalf of the Korean War Veterans Association, it’s a wonderful way to recognize these members that had served.”
The Korean War began when North Korea invaded South Korea. The United Nations, with the United States as the principal force, came to the aid of South Korea. The fighting ended on July 27, 1953, when an armistice was signed, however, no peace treaty has been signed, and the two Koreas are technically still at war.
“We still have 15,000 people that are still stationed in Korea,” Delong said. “It’s a difficult time in South Korea because they’re about to overthrow their president, Park Geun-hye.”
In addition to the Korean War veterans and their families, a few Korean-born families were present at Thursday’s ceremony to express their thanks to these American troops. Dr. Jay Haar, a practicing psychiatrist in the city of Mansfield, was just 10 years old living in South Korea when the war began.
“Suddenly we were surrounded by enemies,” Haar remembered. “For three months we were under their occupation until Korea was liberated by the Allies troops. It took three months for American troops and the United Nations troops to come and push the enemies out, and we got our country back because of their help.
“It was a scary three months,” he said. “We thought we lost our country for good.”
Dr. Haar also served as a Korean doctor in the Vietnam War. He came to Mansfield with his wife and two children in 1973.
“I support the Korean War Veterans because they’re the ones who helped us and liberated us, and they helped us to have our country back,” Haar said. “I don’t forget what they did for us; it was a tremendous sacrifice they made and we are so thankful for everything that they did.”
One such veteran present on Thursday was Tom Daugherty, a recipient of the Korean Ambassador’s Medal for Peace. Daugherty served in Korea from 1951 to 1953; his company built the tents at Panmunjom, Korea, the site of military armistice negotiations between representatives of the Communist forces fighting in Korea, and United Nations forces representatives.
“It was a great experience; unfortunately I wasn’t on the front lines but we were just behind,” Daugherty said. “It was scary.”
“Every person that ever raised their hand served their country,” Delong responded. “Regardless of where we were at, we were all doing a portion of our mission. That’s what’s amazing about people who have served, every single one of us had a part to play no matter where we were.”
According to Delong, there are only approximately 200 living veterans of World War II in Richland County, and the Korean War was just three years following the end of WWII. The youngest a man could be to have served in Korea, if he joined at the end of the war in 1955, would be 81 years old.
“It was just so very far away,” Delong said. “To be able to come out and spend any time, to cherish any kind of celebration and break bread with these guys, is truly an honor.”
